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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29033709">tell them</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/fagstar/pseuds/fagstar'>fagstar</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Minecraft (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Exiled TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Gen, Hugging, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Men Crying, Past Abuse, Past Child Abuse, Past Suicidal Thoughts, Past manipulation, Prison, Spoilers for the Dream SMP Season 2 Finale, Suicidal Thoughts, TommyInit Needs A Hug, Vulnerability, c!dream is a dick, he deserves better smh</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 04:34:18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,524</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29033709</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/fagstar/pseuds/fagstar</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“tell them what you did to me in exile,” he says. </p><p>tommy pauses to let dream speak, but he only raises an eyebrow. they wait in silence, but dream stays silent. eventually, tommy speaks up again.</p><p>“okay, i’ll tell you what he did to me in exile. he-” </p><p>dream cuts him off. “do you really want them to know?” he asks, leaning forwards, grinning cruelly.<br/>___<br/>dream actually answers tommy, in the blackstone room.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Toby Smith | Tubbo &amp; TommyInnit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>39</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>648</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>tell them</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>c!dream is a dick and i want tommy to open up to someone.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Dream is in the box. Armourless, defenseless. On his last life.</p><p>Surrounded by everyone, allies, friends, enemies, strangers, Dream is alone. But Tommy is not. With Tubbo at his side, warm, breathing, alive, Tommy is strong. Tubbo dons Dream’s dropped armour, Nightmare swinging idly at his side.</p><p>Everyone is gathered around the obsidian case that Dream is entrapped in. Nearly the entire server has come together to take down this tyrant. People from all sides; BadBoyHalo and Antfrost from the Eggpire, Ranboo from Technoblade’s anarchists, Sapnap and Punz, even Niki and Jack Manifold, who want Tommy dead. So many people are here, joined together by one common goal. Taking down Dream.</p><p>Tommy grins down at him from where he stands, one block up at the side of Dream’s cage. He can see Dream’s sick little collection of precious items from where he stands, but they’ll deal with that later. Right now, he has something he wants to do.</p><p>“Tell them, Dream. Tell them what you did to the community house,” he almost laughs.</p><p>Dream stays silent for a moment, sighing. “I blew up the community house,” he says sullenly.</p><p>Surprised whispers break out amongst the gathered crowd. They shouldn’t be surprised that Tommy wasn’t the one who destroyed the building, but they are. Even Tubbo looks mildly surprised, despite having heard it before.</p><p>“Tell them more, Dream. Tell them everything - everything you did,” Tommy instructs him.</p><p>Dream glares at him. Tommy motions with his hands for him to go on.</p><p>“You want me to tell them everything? How I planned to manipulate them? To use their attachments to destroy them?” Dream spits. More chatter breaks out among the group, but Tommy remains unbothered. He’s heard that tone before.</p><p>“Tell them what you did to me in exile,” he says. </p><p>Tommy pauses to let Dream speak, but he only raises an eyebrow. They wait in silence, but Dream stays silent. Eventually, Tommy speaks up again.</p><p>“Okay, I’ll tell you what he did to me in exile. He-” </p><p>Dream cuts him off. “Do you really want them to know?” he asks, leaning forwards, grinning cruelly.</p><p>“What do you mean?” Tommy asks, furrowing his eyebrows.</p><p>“I mean,” Dream begins slowly, “Do you actually want them to know how I convinced you that everyone hated you? That I was your only friend, that you were unlovable?” Tommy, almost imperceptibly, flinches.</p><p>“How I destroyed your armour every day?” Dream continues. “And your tools, and food, and made you so used to it that I stopped having to ask?</p><p>Tommy swallows nervously. “Dream, I-” he starts, oblivious to the reactions of the people behind him. They are horrified, disgusted by Dream’s actions.</p><p>“Do you want them to know how I beat you,” Dream presses on, “and you liked it? Because that was the only human contact you got?” (“Oh my god,” Puffy breaths behind a shaking hand, in the audience. Niki, beside her, lays a hand on her shoulder in a gesture that’s supposed to be comforting, and a tear falls down her cheek) “Do you want them to know how every day after I left, you bandaged your wounds and cried because you were so soul-crushingly lonely that being beaten was better than being alone?”</p><p>Arms wrapped around himself, Tommy curls his shoulders inwards, hunching over himself. He shuffles his feet uncomfortably, eyes trained firmly on the floor.</p><p>“Do you want them to know, Tommy, how you were in the nether more than the overworld, staring down at the lava, trying to gather the nerve to just do it? How, after I blew up Logstedshire, you stood atop that ugly pillar in the sky for so long, wondering if it would be worth it to jump, and let me win? How every morning you woke up in the sea, drowning? I can’t help but wonder, Tommy if you were trying to get back to L’Manburg, or if you were so desperate for it to stop that you were trying to kill yourself in your sleep.”</p><p>“Shut the fuck up!” Tommy bursts out, the heels of his hands pressing on his eyes. He’s trying not to cry, gritting his teeth.</p><p>Dream grins sickly, and leans closer to Tommy. “Do you want them to know how I ruined you?”</p><p>Tommy’s breath catches in his throat as he chokes on a sob. The people have been stunned into a horrified silence. Half of their gazes are set on Dream, angry, while the other half are on Tommy.</p><p>For the first time, they see him how he truly is. He’s a child, manipulated and traumatized and hurt beyond their understanding. They know Tommy doesn’t ask for help. They didn’t think to offer it, too caught up in their own lives to see this 16 year old being tortured and tormented right under their very noses.</p><p>He’s hunched over slightly, arms wrapped around himself tightly, hands gripping his biceps so hard they look like they might bruise. As he digs his teeth into his lip, he blinks back tears harshly. Tubbo is standing near him, no more than a few long strides away, staring, unblinking.</p><p>No one speaks, no one moves except Dream, leaning back smugly, arms crossed. </p><p>It’s uncomfortably silent for a long moment. Then, Tubbo moves forward, taking a hesitant step towards Tommy, hands extended slightly.</p><p>“Tommy?” he says shakily. His voice is quiet, but it seems to echo throughout the room. Tommy’s hands tighten their grip on his arms. “Tommy, he's not… tell me he's lying, Tommy," Tubbo all but begs.</p><p>“You thought I was dead, Tubbo,” Tommy answers, voice strained. “Did you really not wonder why I would jump?”</p><p>Tubbo lets out a dry sob, eyes filing with tears. He puts a hand over his mouth before taking another step towards Tommy, and another, until he’s right behind him. </p><p>Sensing his proximity, Tommy stiffens. He turns, and Tubbo stares up at him. He looks so upset, a mixture of sadness, guilt, and anger warring on his face. In his eyes is concern, though, and regret. Tubbo tentatively reaches out and puts a hand on Tommy’s, where he’s gripping his arm, and rubs his thumb in circles soothingly.</p><p>“Tommy,” he says again, and his voice is so soft and so heartbreakingly sad that Tommy’s face just crumples. He pulls Tommy into a hug, holding him close and he’s warm and breathing and alive. Despite being taller than him, Tommy buries his face in Tubbo’s neck, and he breaks.</p><p>He melts into Tubbo’s arms and wails, sobbing loudly into his best friend’s neck. Tubbo’s hands are gripping the back of his shirt, and his own are pressed against Tubbo’s stolen chestplate.</p><p>In the crowd, expressions range from Ranboo and BadBoyHalo watching Tommy sob with sad concern, to Puffy’s guilt, for loving Dream as he hurt this child, to the downright murder plain on Sam and Quackity’s faces. Everyone who has gathered is outraged. How dare Dream do this to the youngest on the server?</p><p>No one has seen Tommy be anything but strong before. Now though, seeing him crying, comforted by his best friend, another child, they realize much of TommyInnit as they know him is a mask. </p><p>As Tommy continues to cry, Punz and Sapnap look at each other, and meet Sam’s eye. They know what they have to do.</p><p>Sam steps forward and puts a hand on Tommy’s shoulder. He flinches at the sudden touch, turning to look at Sam. Quickly, he sniffles and wipes his eyes.</p><p>“Tommy, what do you want to do with him?” he asks, indicating to Dream, still grinning in his obsidian cage.</p><p>Tommy wipes his eyes again before replying. “I… I’m not sure,” he begins, voice stuffy. His eyes are downcast, face red and blotchy. “We can’t just let him run around free, can we?”</p><p>Sam hummed. “We can put him in the prison,” he offers. “He’d be locked up, under maximum security. There would be no way he could escape. We’d all be safe.”</p><p>“That prison’s scary as hell,” Tubbo adds. Tommy nods.</p><p>“Yeah, let’s… let’s lock ‘im up.”</p><p>Swiftly, Dream is removed from the box, and restrained. Punz holds his cuffed hands at the wrist behind his back, while Sapnap and BadBoyHalo each take an arm. Sam smiles comfortingly at Tommy before he turns, and walks slightly behind Dream and his arresters.</p><p>The elevator goes up, and Tommy watches as Dream slowly goes up, and up, and up, until he is out of sight. Behind him, Tubbo grins. He pulls on the side of Tommy’s shirt to get his attention.</p><p>They look at each other for a moment, before Tommy’s face slowly breaks out into a small smile too.</p><p>“We did it, Tommy. We won,” Tubbo says excitedly. He pulls Tommy into another hug.</p><p>“We won,” he says again, into Tommy’s ear. Then, softly, comfortingly, “we’re safe.”</p><p>(Hours later, when Tommy and Tubbo are safe, asleep together in Snowchester under Puffy’s watchful eyes, a group of adults begin to plot. Prison isn’t good enough. For what he’s done to the server, to these innocent children, blood must be spilled. Dream has to die.)</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>if u couldnt tell i love commas and really wanted dream to answer tommy when he told him to tell everyone what he did to him in exile.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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